Tag: music review

It’s taken me a few days to get back here and since I last reviewed something i’ve had a great time, on the 8th of March I had the great pleasure of seeing Ashfields launch their Brand New EP “New Skin” into all our faces and ears.

Ashfields played a brilliant set of new and old tracks which had a packed crowd screaming every single lyric back at them and the best thing about the whole night was seeing the smiles and genuine delight on the bands face, they have worked so hard to get to this very point and it has totally paid off for them.

After hearing comparisons to Oasis and how they might be the next iteration of the Manchester rock and roll stars then it might be worth continuing to watch Ashfields and how they might continue to change and develop.

Catch Fire might be the brightest star for pop punk in Notts but Ashfields are definitely the brightest Indie star in the local area.

(Bit of context – This is again another piece I wrote for the Chad this one made it on the site and I am still extremely proud of it, sorry for double posting today)

Nottingham’s brightest pop punk star shines again with Catch Fire’s latest release, after taking several hard listens to the song I can clarify that they have another brilliant track.

Catch Fire’s greatest element is the clear band chemistry that flows through them first beginning as Layby in 2013 they have continued to evolve and grow throughout the past year and months, going on a tour mid 2016 has enabled them to get a real taste of what I feel they can become. The track has the perfect example of melancholy lyrics with the emphasis on it’s fast paced tune that completes their usual oxymoron of bringing their pop punk music and bringing it hand in hand with a clear grunge mentality.

Catch Fire has a sense of pure originality and love for the music they create with the obvious and clear intentions to make a name for themselves, the nottinghamshire fivesome have clearly lived and breathed music and played with other musicians to finally come together and create something much greater.

This is a giant leap from the earlier EP “The Distance I Am From You” and even “Wild Things” and leaves me extremely excited for the new EP that is expected March 24th if any of the other tracks are anything close to this then you can be sure that it’ll be the hottest EP that Nottingham has seen in some time. “Guilty As Charged” is a perfect anthem that believe it or not for it’s genre is extremely catchy and you’ll be singing it without even noticing, the rawness of vocals gives a sense of fragility to the lyrics and helps the track be more accessible and enjoyable.

Overall this is a track that you need to listen too, Pop punk fans will love this but more importantly music lovers will love it, it’s the perfect example of a young band proving that they can make it in the industry by having a lot of talent and knowledge for the genre they most clearly love. Remember to keep your ear to the ground for the upcoming EP “A Love That I Still Miss” on March 24th

(Some context – I wrote this for my local newspaper “The Chad as my first published piece or so I thought, the Band sent off to receive a review and I was drafted to write it, I wrote it, sent it and it was “Lost” and I heard nothing about it so here is the review as I don’t think it’s fair they didn’t get any shout outs from “The Chad”)

After spending the last year playing pubs and clubs with cover songs, Derbyshire based band “Those Who Knew” are finally showing off their own sound with their debut single “Losing Touch”. It’s hard not to hear other bands in this song, from my very first listen I heard a touch of “Nickelback” which is something I thought I’d never have to say again. The band cites “Lower Than Atlantis” and “Paramore” as their biggest influences but I feel fans of the mid nineties alternative rock rise will be right at home here with a clear and definite sound of “Nickelback’s” “How You Remind Me” which to some might be a wonderful achievement but for others they might not want to hear something that sounds so similar.

For a fairly fresh faced band they have taken extreme care in honing their skills, the production value on the single is of chart quality and comes a long way from footage filmed on a phone in the back of the room, you really get to hear each individual’s talent shine throughout the track. Abandoning the genre is sometimes worthwhile doing for some Pop Punk bands when it comes to lyrics but here it feels almost forced to create a much more poppy sounding song, which confuses me as to who this is marketed towards, the lyrics are fairly straightforward and safe whilst the music is well grounded in its punk roots.

It’s an incredibly promising start from the young fivesome, this track will either go down as a great start for some or a minor miss for others, but still promising none the less and with a new EP on the horizon titled “Take It!” if you’re a fan of this genre it’s worthwhile finding out when they’re playing next in and around the Derbyshire area. The new single “Losing Touch” is available to buy on Itunes and stream on Spotify.